Chapter One

Jasmine’s POV.

“Please don’t say that”, I whimpered as I stared at my mate in shock, sure that if I had a wolf, she would be howling in pain at the words that were coming out of his mouth.

“I’m an Alpha”, he said. “An Alpha of one of the strongest packs in our world. It would be seen as the ultimate mark of weakness to have a mate that is without rank and a wolf”, he told me, looking me over with his decision clear in his eyes.

I looked away and resisted the urge to curl into a ball and sob, instead distracting myself with anything that came to mind.

That was probably why I blurted out the first question that came to my mind.

“How did you know?” I asked, staring down at my feet in shame.

“Bianca told me”, he said and my head whipped up so fast since that wasn’t the answer I had been expecting.

“What?” I asked in surprise. “How does she know that?”

Before he could respond however, the snotty voice that belonged to the witch in question came from the open door behind me.

“I have my ways”, she said as she walked into the room where we stood and sashayed over to my mate to link her arm through his.

Bianca wasn’t actually a witch, she was more like a devil’s incarnate in blonde disguise. I hated her exactly two seconds after meeting her when she had looked at me like I was worthless and then proceeded to embrace my mate in a way that was entirely too seductive even for my innocent mind.

Seeing how she now leaned into my mate solidified the new emotion of hatred that I felt towards her.

“But if you must know”, she continued, “Your Alpha’s daughter is a friend of mine and she told me all I needed to know”, she said scornfully before turning to my mate with a horrified gasp. “Did you know she has the most disgusting scar all over her back?” She asked and pretended to shudder. “I don’t even wish to imagine how ugly it might be”, she said.

“Poor you”, she said looking at my mate with fake pity. “To be saddled with such a mate. What was the Moon Goddess thinking?” She sympathised.

“A scar?”my mate asked, looking horrified at the thought.

“A dreadful one”, she confirmed with a nod of her blonde head.

My mate turned to me and I looked away at the look in his eyes.

“Surely, you see why I have to do this now, Jasmine”, he said as if it justified his desire to reject me just like everyone else had.

The tears I had been trying so hard to keep at bay began to trail down my cheeks.

“Please don’t do this, Tyler”, I managed to choke out, lifting my eyes to meet the emerald gems that were his. “Please don’t reject me too”, I begged.

“Jasmine, be reasonable!” He all but snapped. “Enough with this pathetic display. This just proves that you are unfit to be my Luna”he said. “Rather than acting all pitiful, my true mate would understand the reason for my actions and agree with me”.

“Exactly”, the spawn of satan chipped in.

“Look, I’m not unreasonable”, he said moving towards me and stopping a few feet away. “I’m not going to formally reject you”, he said and my head snapped up to meet his gaze.

“You’re not?” I asked, hopeful while ignoring the frown I saw forming on Bianca’s face from over his shoulder.

“Of course not”, he said. “It would weaken my wolf considerably and I cannot let that happen. Not with the little attacks at the borders of the pack happening more often”, he turned to Bianca whose smile was restored at hearing the reason for his earlier statement.

I felt my heart drop and I was sure that if I had a wolf she would have died from the heartbreak I was feeling.

He turned back to me. “You will remain here in my pack. I’m sure there should be something even a wolf less one like you could do”, he announced, ignoring the tears and hurt that shone in my eyes and looking away instead.

“Tyler”, I whispered, my voice coming out raspy from pain even to my ears. “Please”, I choked out desperately for the last time.

As his eyes came back to rest on me, they softened. I knew that it was his wolf that hated seeing me in pain and as his eyes began to darken and his hand lifted towards me, I knew his wolf was trying to reach me.

However, before his hand could come in contact with my cheek, the witch spoke and broke the spell.

“I might have some use for her, Tyler”, she said and I watched his eyes turn back to their emerald green before he turned away to walk back to her.

“Tell me, darling”, he said, shattering my heart as he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close right in front of me.

The suspicion I had ever since I had seen them together was finally confirmed.

They were lovers.

Tyler had taken measures to hide it when he had first met me. He had probably thought I had a rank since I arrived as the visiting Beta’s ward. But since he had found out who I really was, he probably felt no need to hide his intimate relationship with Bianca. Especially since he clearly did not intend to mate with me.

“You know I have been feeling rather ill of late and thought it might be because of the weather”, she said, turning to him to put her arms around his shoulders when he nodded at her statement. “Well, I spoke to Maria and she thinks I might be with child”, she announced with a smile.

I felt my legs give out from under me as I fell to the ground, clenching my trembling hand into a fist.

“Of course we cannot be sure until I have visited the midwife and healer but I believe that I am”, I heard her say then squeal in delight as my mate swept her off her feet and into his arms to rain kisses all over her face as she giggled.

A sob escaped my mouth and I bit down on my lip to hold the others in.

“I’ll need some assistance since I’m carrying the future Alpha of this pack”, she requested, linking her hands together behind his neck.

“Of course”, my mate readily agreed. “Anything for you”, he assured.

“She’ll do for now”, she said with a nod to where I laid on the floor.

I could only imagine what a sight I must have been, a silent-weeping mess on the stone cold floor.

“Whatever you want, darling”, I heard him say. “Come, we must share the good news”, he said and walked out of the room with her in his arms, not even sparing a backward glance at where I laid broken.

As his heavy footsteps faded, I felt my vision fade with it and embraced the darkness that pulled me into oblivion with open arms.